33 Jobs in 33 Countries – Jan Lachner, the European Jobhunter 2.0

On 12 July, Jan Lachner, the young German-Frenchman (26) and Face of the European Year of Citizens 2013 completed his exciting project – to work in 33 different jobs, in 33 countries, in 33 weeks.

The first job on his slightly different European trip saw Jan on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea close to Malta. After that, he worked as flamenco teacher in Seville, as a farmer in Romania and an archaeologist in Greece. At the same time, his choice of profession followed a clear concept: "The working experiences should be as diverse as possible and whenever possible should reflect the country.”

So he learned for instance to draw a pint of Guinness in Ireland, to manufacture amber jewelry in Lithuania and to build alp-horns in Switzerland.

Jan had the idea for his Euro-Job project after studying aviation and aerospace engineering. Jan decided he didn’t want to follow the more career conventional path. Instead, he wanted something that excited his curiosity about other people and cultures and that would broaden his horizons. In addition to the 28 EU Member States, he also visited Monaco, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

About two years after the start of his personal mission, today he reached his goal. His last stop took him to Italy to restore antique furniture. The ‘marathon jobber’ recorded his experience on his website www.eurojobsproject.com.

"Without an EU-wide work permit, the project would not have been possible," said Lachner. "I am a European 2.0," he says. "I jump across borders, as I cross the street. Besides, with my project I try to exemplify the idea of ​​Europe to other people."